The Wyoming Cowboys fell to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels 69-59.
A day prior to this matchup, players Max Agbonkpolo, Ethan Anderson, and Jake Kyman left the basketball team.
In addition, Noah Reynolds, the Cowboys leading scorer, was out due to a series of concussions earlier in the week.
The Pokes had seven scholarship players available to play against the Rebels, and those seven were the only ones to play the game.
The first half was energetic, and the Pokes were only down by one point at halftime, the score being 25-24.
Jeremiah Oden made a statement dunk at the end of the first half, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
UNLV showed incredible coaching for the game. As soon as the Cowboys got any bit of momentum, the Rebels would call time out and kill that momentum immediately.
The two teams shot similarly from the field, but the Pokes struggled from the arc, with a 3- point percentage of 20%, just five 3-pointers all game.
Hunter Maldonado also performed well, with a team high of 17 points along with another team high of seven rebounds.
Maldonado would go on to break the 2,000 career points mark tonight as well, an incredible achievement for him.
“That’s what I want my legacy to be. Someone who was loyal and who stayed around.” He said after the game.
The one thing the Pokes couldn’t seem to get right was guarding the Rebel guard EJ Harkless. Harkless ended the night with 33 points, almost half of UNLV’s total points.
The Cowboys will head to Boise State, for their matchup with the Broncos on Saturday, Feb. 11. They will look to get their first road win of the year.
